NEWS / MEDIA

Stepchildren and inheritance can be somewhat contradictory in Irish law as they appear to be regarded differently according to two relevant pieces of legislation.

The Belfast Newsletter this week revealed that the single biggest donor to a Northern Irish political party left Sinn Féin £2.5 million in his will.

Maeve Mullin, Finders International’s Senior Researcher, joins Ray D’arcy in the RTÉ studio to discuss how Finders are helping to find the beneficiaries of the large number of unclaimed estates in Ireland.

On WLR FM’s Déise today, Senior researcher and office manager of Finders International, Maeve Mullin, joins Maria to talk about how we can assist when someone passes away with no known next of kin.

Finders International’s, Maeve Mullin, joins Ciara Plunkett of KFM radio to discuss how we assist with tracing next of kin.

Finders International, one of the leading probate genealogy firms that featured in the BBC television series, Heir Hunters, says the number of cases of Irish people who have died intestate in England and Wales with no known next of kin has risen.

Our probate house clearance partner, Just Clear, has been featured in the July issue of Forbes magazine.

Finders International’s Irish office celebrates its fourth anniversary this year—four years of providing missing beneficiary tracing, no known next of kin, rooting out unclaimed assets and more.

As Brexit draws closer (in theory), demand for Irish passports from those outside Eire continues to rise.

More and more solicitors are seeking admission to the register of Irish solicitors, according to figures released by the Law Society of Ireland.

DNA and genealogy sites were used to determine the identity of a mother in the US whose baby was found abandoned in a ditch thirty-eight years ago.

Credit union members have reacted angrily to moves by some lenders to reduce one of their key benefits—death benefit insurance according to a recent article in the Independent.

Delays in probate are contributing to Ireland’s housing shortage, according to a new survey carried out by Royal London Ireland.

Another day, another family argument over a will ends in a court...

A County Laois woman has bequeathed a total of €30m to five charities in a massive windfall for the charity sector, it has emerged.

Ireland’s Department of Health has said the creation of a safeguarding bill for vulnerable adults will not be possible.

An advocacy group for elderly rights has called for additional legislation in situations where people’s liberty is at risk.
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Marrying someone so you can avoid them needing to pay inheritance tax when you die isn’t that unusual—it is, however, when two men who aren’t gay do it.

In Northern Ireland, two more councils have voted to get rid of burial costs for children, according to a BBC story earlier this month.

A recent scientific breakthrough saw the recreation of the DNA of a man who died nearly 200 years ago from his living descendants, rather than his physical remains – the first time this has ever happened.

As an organisation that deals primarily in probate genealogy, Finders International Ireland was interested to note that new research has suggested that many older Irish people experience unnecessary suffering during the last year of their lives.

Iirish Manager for Finders International, Padraic Grennan, speaks to Shane Coleman of Newstalk Breakfast about vacant properties and the services Finders provides to local authorities nationwide

Conall O`Morain invites Finders International MD Danny Curran to discuss Finders Ireland.

Relatives of an elderly man who is seriously ill in a London hospital have been found following an online plea.

It’s that time of year when… Finders International digs out its Christmas-related genealogy stats! That’s right, just like every other industry, ours isn’t immune to the call of snow-painting our copy. From famous people born on Christmas Day, to those whose names have a definite festive slant, they are all here.

Setting out on your journey to discover your Irish ancestors? Here are some tips from Genealogy Ireland experts for how you can find out more about your family tree…

Finders International is one of the founder members of the International Association of Professional Probate Researchers Genealogists and Heir Hunters (IAPPR) which held its inaugural AGM in September...

Your great aunt Lizzie or great grandma Eliza could be your link to a $700,000 cash windfall thanks to a stranded inheritance in a Royal bank account in London.

Did you know that Finders Ireland works with councils, hospitals and coroners in Ireland to find people’s next of kin for free?

New York transport workers have given the go-ahead to create a new interpretative centre in Belfast that focuses on James Connolly.

An Irish property website has warned that house prices in Ireland will continue to rise for the next five to ten years unless drastic action is taken.

Almost 6 in 10 people in Ireland reckon they enjoy very good health, according to the latest results issued by the Central Statistics Office.

Probate genealogy company Finders International has recently launched a new service across Ireland relating to vacant and derelict properties.

This clip shows our Dublin office manager Padraic Grennan working on a case involving a derelict property in Co. Waterford. The property had been vacant for over 30 years and the case featured in a recent RTE documentary called “Ireland’s Property Crisis”.

One issue that is in the news often these days is dementia. In Ireland, cases of dementia are set to triple over the next 25 years, according to one expert.

An appeal was made recently on RTE Radio 1’s “Liveline” programme by a member of the public who had found an old war medal and wished for it to be returned to its rightful owner.

Here at Finders Ireland, we’re used to stories about inheritance battles but this one featured
in the Indy Star recently piqued our interest in particular.

A recent Institute for Fiscal Studies briefing note shows that today’s elderly population has more wealth to bequeath than previous generations, thanks to rising home ownership rates and house prices.

Ever heard of the old Irish saying, “Only a fool would die solvent”? Nowadays, that
sentiment resonates with many.

The cost of dying continues to rise, placing more pressure on councils that have to pay for ‘paupers’ funerals’.

While wealthier benefactors are more likely to have a will in place, this does not mean they
have discussed their plans with their heirs.

Finders International has launched a significant social initiative aimed at benefiting hard-pressed local authorities and hospitals.

Stone-throwing, ferret stealing and harsh punishments for tiny sum thefts, there’s no doubt crime was different in 19th Century Ireland as this fascinating article in Ireland’s Independent News & Media shows.

A new association has recently been launched for the industry of probate genealogy research with the aim of providing a single authoritative source of opinion and advice.

If you are looking into your Irish family tree, you will come across certain genealogical terms. Most of them are straightforward, but some require further explanation.

Did you know that 61 percent of all Irish households own either a cat or a dog, and that 91 percent of them think of their cat or dog as a member of their own family?

In our line of work – probate genealogy or heir hunting as it’s commonly known – we often need to have uncomfortable conversations.

The late actor Alan Rickman reportedly left some £100,000 in his will to various charities.

These days, funerals can take many different forms and in modern-day Ireland there are plenty of options for the final send-off.

Is there a downside to inheriting a fortune? Nothing obvious springs to mind, but perhaps that’s superficial.

At the last official count (2014), there were more than 400 centenarians in Ireland – and an exclusive group of super centenarians (all of them women) who have lived past the age of 110.

What inheritance rights apply in Ireland? Recent changes to the laws have extended inheritance rights to civil partners and co-habitants, but the rights are complex.

Hair taken from the dead man’s head, a birthday and enough money for a great wake party – that’s just some of the weird and wonderful things people have left in their wills.

Following last week’s Brexit vote, there has been a rush of people in the UK applying for Irish passports.

Do you need genealogy Ireland experts for media purposes? If so, Finders Ireland can help.

Brothers Fred and Jimmy O’Donnell spent 80 years apart. Their Irish mother gave birth out of wedlock, first to Jimmy, who was placed in an orphanage, and later to Fred, who grew up in a Catholic boy’s institution.

If the cost of living is rising, what about the cost of dying?

Recently a respected Dublin law firm was contacted by an Australian man who had received a letter, purportedly from them, regarding a potential inheritance.

TWO Irish women who have not seen their mother in over 50 years are hoping the Irish community in Britain can help them locate her.

If the BBC Series 10 Heir Hunters is of interest to you or you have been investigating family history research, then you may well have heard terms such as second cousin once removed.

One of the services offered by Finders International is missing beneficiary indemnity insurance, but what exactly is this?

Are you looking for genealogists in Ireland? If so, you have come to the right place.

Did you know that one of the services that Finders International offers is overseas asset searches?

While it’s common for people to create family photo walls, adding in history about your family adds another level of interest – fascinating for your family and interesting to any visitors that come to your home. It will certainly be a talking point.

The #HeirHunters have landed!

As we are in the business of seeking out missing wills and the next of kin when people die intestate (in other words, without a valid will), our research often means we encounter families torn apart by different circumstances.

Ireland’s national parliament (the Oireachtas) has repealed the 144-year-old lunacy act.

Here at Finders Ireland, we find surnames incredibly interesting as you might imagine. The surname is usually the first clue we have to go on when we work to locate the rightful beneficiaries to an estate.

Two brothers who spent 80 years unaware of each other’s existence are celebrating their first Christmas together.

One of the perhaps lesser-known services offered by Finders International is that we can help you search for birth parents or relatives if you were adopted as a child.

Did you know that only three in ten Irish people have drafted a will and 50 percent have made no preparations for death?

Finders International deals mainly with the estates of people who have died intestate, so a crucial part of our advice to the general population is to make a will as soon as possible.

Following a bereavement in a family comes the difficult reality of the legal process called probate. Here we explain exactly what this means and how it works when it comes to grant of probate.

Did you know that some 40 million Americans currently claim Irish heritage? Here at Finders International, we are well aware of the Irish-American connections as finding the rightful heirs to an estate can often lead us to the US.

Nowadays, people are more familiar with the work of probate genealogists or heir hunters as they are more commonly known, thanks to programmes such as BBC1’s Heir Hunters, and information available online.

The distribution of an estate as specified by a will is often a challenging matter with extensive legal documentation becoming the bugbear of law firms instructed to carry out the wishes of the Deceased.

More than €2.4 million in unclaimed money is being held in the State’s coffers from the estates of people who died and left no wills and no known beneficiaries, new figures show.

Assisting law firms throughout Britain since 1997, probate genealogists Finders International are regarded as experts at tracing missing beneficiaries and unknown next of kin.

A 78-year-old man who was united with his brother after living his whole life without knowing him has spoken of their reunion.

Daniel Curran on Radio RTE 2FM with Dave Fanning

This week, we thought we could celebrate the opening of our new Dublin office – Suite 5073, Unit 1, 77 Sir John Rogerson’s quay, Dublin – by taking a look at some popular Irish surnames and explain their origins.

Finders International has worked on numerous cases where a statutory will application has been made. Usually it is the case that next of kin need to be researched and traced as soon as possible and we are happy to meet any deadlines involved.

The anniversary of the start of the First World War last year encouraged a huge surge of interest from people investigating the part their ancestors played in the conflict.